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Hundreds of cardiac surgeries are performed each year in downtown Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center. These surgeries are part of the scheduling routine every day – but that was not the case a mere 25 years ago.

May 14, 1984 was anything but a routine day at then-Fresno Community Hospital. The cardiac surgery program officially launched with two cases performed.

According to cardiac surgeon Dr. Pervaiz A. Chaudhry, “To start this type of program from the ground up is a huge thing.”

In the face of the worst jobless rate in state history, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin came to Community Regional Medical Center to point out what’s going well in the local economy.

“There’s an amazing story to be told about Community Regional Medical Center. They’re hiring. They’re hiring at a rate of about 50 people per week,” the mayor said at June 19 news conference on the hospital’s 58-acre downtown campus.

While the current economic situation has been challenging in recent months, it brought a silver lining of more volunteers to Community Regional Medical Center. And volunteers say their time helping patients and hospital staff sharpens their job prospects and lets them try out new occupations.

“I have seen some effects from the economy,” says Antonio Nieto, Community Regional’s service delivery supervisor. “I am actually getting volunteers between jobs that are coming here, not only to keep themselves busy, but keep their skills current.”